Colonists who did not wish to remain British subjects declared themselves "Patriots" -- those who remained faithful to England called themselves "Loyalists." The Revolutionary War broke out on April 19, 1775, at the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

The Continental Congress met in June 1776. They decided that the thirteen colonies should be free and independent states, but they needed to write up a specific document to declare their independence from Great Britain.

The Continental Congress decided to have Thomas Jefferson write the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.

When he wrote the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson went to the Graff house that was located outside of the city limits. The house was surrounded by field and a stable. Thomas Jefferson could write without being bothered.

The only thing that did bother him was the horseflies from the barn!!!

The Graff House had been built in 1775.

The house later became a print shop and a diner.

The house was restored in 1975 from old pictures.

Thomas Jefferson, was assisted by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman when writing the final copy of the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence:

The document that stated the reasons for the desire of the American colonies to be independent of Great Britain rule.

•New Hampshire •Josiah Bartlett •Wm. Whipple •Matthew Thornton •Rhode Island •Step. Hopkins •William Ellery •Connecticut •Roger Sherman •Sam'el Huntington •Wm. Williams •Oliver Wolcott •New York •Wm. Floyd •Phil. Livingston •Frans. Lewis •Lewis Morris •New Jersey •Richd. Stockton •Jno. Witherspoon •Fras. Hopkinson •John Hart •Abra. Clark •Pennsylvania •Robt. Morris •Benjamin Rush •Benj. Franklin •John Morton •Geo. Clymer •Jas. Smith •Geo. Taylor •James Wilson •Geo. Ross •Massachusetts-Bay

•Saml. Adams •John Adams •Robt. Treat Paine •Elbridge Gerry •Delaware •Caesar Rodney •Geo. Read •Tho. M'Kean •Maryland •Samuel Chase •Wm. Paca •Thos. Stone •Charles Carroll of Carrollton •Virginia •George Wythe •Richard Henry Lee •Th. Jefferson •Benj. Harrison •Ths. Nelson, Jr. •Francis Lightfoot Lee •Carter Braxton •North Carolina •Wm. Hooper •Joseph Hewes •John Penn •South Carolina •Edward Rutledge •Thos. Heyward, Junr. •Thomas Lynch, Junr. •Arthur Middleton •Georgia •Button Gwinnett •Lyman Hall •Geo. Walton

John Hancock

Freckled and sandy-haired, rather tall and awkward, Jefferson was eloquent as a correspondent, but he was no public speaker. In the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, he contributed his pen rather than his voice to the patriot cause. As the "silent member" of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence.

This powerful advocate of liberty was born in 1743 in Albermarle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father, a planter and surveyor, some 5,000 acres of land, and from his mother, a Randolph, high social standing. He studied at the College of William and Mary, then read law..

Signer of the Declaration of Independence who was also a wealthy Massachusetts merchant who liked to defy the British authorities. He was also president of the Continental Congress and governor of Massachusetts. His main contribution, however, to the American Revolution was using his fortune to help finance the struggle.

Carroll was elected to represent Maryland on the 4th of July, and though he was too late to vote for the Declaration, he did sign it.

Charles Carroll was the last surviving member of those who signed the Declaration. He died, the last survivor of the signers of the Declaration, in 1832 at the age of ninety six.

Ben stands alone as the only person to have signed all four of the documents which helped to create the United States: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance, Amity, and Commerce with France (1778), the Treaty of Peace between England, France, and the United States (1782), and the Constitution (1787). He actually helped to write parts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. No other individual was more involved in the birth of our nation.

Born: February 22, 1732Died: December 14, 1799 The first president of the United States, George Washington, is often referred to as the Father of Our Country. He was known for his love of the land and farming, and his dislike of war. He was a distinguished general and commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution. You might have thought that George Washington was in Philadelphia with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and the other delegates of the Continental Congress as they wrote the Declaration of Independence, but he wasn't. In July 1776, Washington was in New York with his troops. On July 9, he received his copy of the Declaration with a note from John Hancock telling Washington to share the news with the troops. Can you imagine how the troops reacted?

It was July 1776. Fighting between the American colonists and the British forces had been going on for over a year. The Continental Congress had been meeting since June, wrestling with the question of independence. Finally, late in the afternoon on July 4th, 1776 twelve of the thirteen colonies reached agreement to formally declare the new states as a free and independent nation. New York was the lone holdout. That evening John Hancock ordered Philadelphia printer John Dunlap to print broadside copies of the agreed-upon declaration that was signed by him as President and Charles Thomson as Secretary of the Continental Congress

John Dunlap is thought to have printed between 200 to 500 Broadsides that July 4th evening which were distributed to the members of Congress on July 5th. Contrary to popular belief, this printed document with only Hancock and Thomson's names was the actual document delivered to King George III in England later that year. The names of the other delegates who voted for Independence were not published until 1777.

There are twenty-four surviving copies of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence done by Philadelphia printer John Dunlap on the evening of July 4,1776, known as the "Dunlap Broadside".

Have you ever wondered what happened to the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence? According to this anonymous essay, they each paid a heavy personal price to stand up for freedom and the independence of their country. Five signers were captured by the British. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from their wounds or other hardships of war

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence

Click here to read about the Declaration of Independence.